


The Duet

by sheeiinewrites



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Coming of Age, Drama, Drama & Romance, Exodus Era, F/M, Interracial Relationship, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11404941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheeiinewrites/pseuds/sheeiinewrites
Summary: Arden passed the audition and she is now one of Exo's five backup dancers for their new comeback. Signing a two-year contract, she is about to live the dancer's dream. But dreams have a cost. Forced to retrain in a classical dance despite being a hip hop dancer, faced with cultural indifferences because she is a Western girl of Spanish descent, no family or friends, every day seems to be perseverance and endurance.  And in the midst of all this is another obsessed artist with mood swings and a bronze complexion, known as Kai. Their passion for dance may unite them. Or it might just bring even more problems for Arden.





	1. The Other Four

 

Arden stared intently at the residence that would begin her new life. She stood in the front of the "dorm" building with her heavy luggage invading the area around her feet in the city of Seoul.

" _I should go with you, just for the first week to make sure everything's okay."_

_"I'll be good on my own, Stephanie, thank you."_

_"Will you visit, Arden?"_

_"If we hold a show in Canada, you will be my V.I.P. guest, Mom."_

_"If there's even a slight chance, we will reunite."_

_"Maybe we can make one special show, Josie."_

"I know it appears small, but the actual dorm is quite flattering." Arden turned her head to look at Heon, her chauffeur.

"Oh, I don't think anything bad of it," her eyes averted back to the building; "Just taking a moment."

"I'm ready when you are," Heon assured her.

Arden smiled at him. "Let's go." He pulled out the rest of Arden's bags and luggage from the trunk of the vehicle.

"Oof!" he stumbled. She looked at him piteously.

"I'm not used to having so many bags"

"Well, you did move across the world," Heon came up with.

The two crowded the elevator with just their bodies and bags.

"Has anyone else arrived yet?" Arden inquired.

"Oh yes, I drove one of them and there were already two other girls settling in when I dropped her off." Arden and Heon made their way down the hall. "Do you have your key?"

"Yes, they gave it to me when I submitted my contract earlier." She pulled the keys out from her coat pocket and unlocked the door. Arden crammed her bags through the doorway followed by Heon doing the same action.

Arden looked at her surroundings; there was a TV with a coffee table and a couch in the room next to the small foyer. Across was the kitchen which had a nice interior of granite counters, black cabinets, and a double stainless steel refrigerator.

The air was silent, Arden noticed. There was no shoes by the door. "No one's home."

"They may be gathering whatever is left of their houses to bring here." Arden nodded her head at Heon's suggestion.

"I think I can handle it from here, Heon. Thanks for driving me." Heon beamed at her. She wanted to give him a tip but it was considered rude to do so in South Korea. The two said their goodbyes and Arden closed the door on his way out.

She glanced at the closed doors of the rooms ahead of her when she turned to face the apartment.

"Which room should I pick?" she asked herself aloud. She had mild hopes of finding a room to herself as she ambled down the hall.

Arden came across the only bathroom in the apartment, the area was narrow with only a small shower, a long sink counter and a toilet. She entered the first bedroom; there was a bunk bed against a wall that had clothes and other belongings plastered on the bed covers, bags and loose items littered the floor. Opposite to the bunk bed was a twin bed that hadn't been claimed yet since it appeared empty. Arden left the room and moved to the next door.

The next room was smaller than the previous one but it was much more organized and set up; there were two twin beds, one that was against the opposite wall of the door entrance and the other down and across from it and against the wall. The bed opposite the doorway was taken but the other bed didn't even look touched.

There was no room to herself, Arden realized. The other room was crammed on a personal level with the beds placed too close to each other, whereas the beds in this room had some space apart. There was also mirrors, a full body mirror beside the bed opposite from the doorway and a mirror hanging over the dresser next to the door.

Arden settled her bags and luggage into her new room. She took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment. As soon as she got off the plane she was directed to the company to drop off her contract. A few things were being sorted out at the building, then she finally arrived at her dorm. She longed to just lay in bed and not have to worry about unpacking.

It was four O'clock in the afternoon, her dance crew would be sleeping right now. Arden hadn't experienced homesickness in her life but she was sure that feeling would start now. Naturally, she was missing them already.

She moved from the bed and took a glance at the full-length mirror; Arden sported a long brown wool coat that stopped above her knees, a white blouse, a dark blue pair of ripped jeans with a black belt, and heeled ankle boots. The outfit made her hourglass shape look leaner. She adjusted her black hair bun.

Arden began to open up her bags and started to unpack. But suddenly there were entering voices.

"Hey, when do you think the other ones are coming?" a voice from the front of the apartment said.

"I have no idea, did they even decide to take the offer?" There was another female voice.

"Who would decline a chance to dance with Exo?!" a third person remarked. A reminiscing smile showed up on Arden's face.  _She did._

She stood up and was ready to introduce herself to the other girls. But before Arden could take another step, the door sprung open. A girl with short jet black hair appeared in the doorway.

" _Annyeonghaseyo,_ " she greeted with a peachy smile. Her complexion was milky smooth in natural light and she had eyes that smiled more than her mouth could. "I guess you're rooming with me judging by all the bags, I was hoping we'd be roommates, but you know, I didn't want to impose." Arden smiled at her.

"You speak Korean right?" the girl asked her.

" _Dang-_ _yeonhaji_." she answered 'of course' in Korean. She switched to her Korean tongue and they conversed in that language.

"My name's Im Yoonji," her roommate said holding out her hand.

"You can call me Arden." The two shook hands.

"I knew I recognized you in the meeting but I thought I was exaggerating until they said your name, I was so excited to be dancing alongside you, I love your dancing!"

"I'm flattered, thank you," Arden told her with a smile.

"Im Yoonji are you talking to yourself?" a distant voice called.

"No, another girl arrived!" she shouted back.

"Really?" the voice replied.

"She's here in my room!" Loud footsteps were scampering down the hallway, two other girls suddenly stopped at the bedroom door; one was significantly tall while the other had defined platnium blonde locks. Their eyes met with Arden's and they scanned her appearance.

"That's a nice outfit." the tall girl complimented. Arden politely bowed as she took off her coat and boots.

"We were out for a while. When did you arrive, exactly?" the girl with blonde medium length hair asked. Looking at the three girls, Im Yoonji's was the only one with monolids.

"I came about an hour ago," Arden answered her. The blonde smiled a stunning smile at her.

"I'm Kim Ara." she introduced, joining Arden on her bed. She held out her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you, Kim Ara, I'm Arden." She shook her hand.

"Hey, why do you look so familiar?" the tall one questioned her.

"Do you watch TheDominicShow?" Arden offered.

"That's where I knew you from! I love D'Trix. and when you guys collaborated." Im Yoonji interjected.

"Do you speak English Im Yoonji?" Arden asked her.

"No, not really well at least, but I understand it."

"Not that's not it," the tall girl objected. Her face brightened with an idea and looked at Arden.

"You look like one of the dancers in this video I watched, people were dancing to  _History_  by Exo, but it was their own choreography,"

"Oh, that's because that is me, I am a part of a dance crew." she enlightened her.

"That's where I've seen you from! Wait, you were in Shout Crew?"

A rush of bittersweetness pulsed through Arden as a smile formed on her mouth. "Yes, I was the leader of the group." Reminiscing was not helping her homesickness even though her friends despite her friends being great memories.

"I had no clue! I heard that name so many times, though. I've only seen a couple of your videos." She walked over to Arden, who was still sitting on her bed.

"I'm Song Meena by the way," she towered over Arden as she introduced her name.

"Meena, you're going to make some of the guys awkward when you meet them, your legs are scary."

"Oh, come on, I'm not  _that_  tall!" Song Meena protested.

"You're taller than half of the group!" Kim Ara argued. The two bickered like friends who knew each other since childhood.

"Did you guys know each other from before?" Arden asked curiously. They both smiled, Song Meena's dimple deepened when her cheeks raised up.

"At one point we were in the same dance school when we were very young, then we met again when we became local dancers and were dancing for this small girl group and then we ending up meeting here again." Song Meena narrated.

"I thought Meena quit dancing after she left when the tour ended but then I saw her in one of TVXQ's videos!" Kim Ara added on. Arden's eyes popped.

"You were dancing for TVXQ?!" Arden exclaimed, marveling at her.

The dimple on her face beamed at Arden's excitement. "Yes, for some TV performances and music videos. You can spot me in  _Spellbound_ , but you'll find me easier in the live videos," she unveiled.

"Wow, Yunho is one of my favourite dancers.” She would be eager to meet him.

"Oh, he's so nice and so much fun to work with, some of the dancers couldn't help themselves with crushing on him."

"So if you were dancing for TVXQ before, how did you end up here?" Arden questioned her.

"Well, after S.M. officially signed me as one of their backup dancers, I began working with TVXQ. I was only performing with them for TV for a period but we were still preparing for their tour that would begin this December. But last month, they asked me if I could work with Exo for their comeback, they needed to gather dancers urgently and I was already an S.M. dancer who had experience. So I decided to do it and they called me in to dance for them and I was chosen." Arden was convinced that everyone's story would be the same. Song Meena's audition story was nothing like she imagined.

But she wondered why she just suddenly switched from one group to another, people typically become very comfortable where they work and don't want to leave so soon. Song Meena was telling the girls stories of her life as an S.M. backup dancer.

"So, have you met Exo?" Im Yoonji asked her.

"I've only seen them from a distance in one of the TV programs TVXQ was performing on. For the longest time, I thought that was the closest I was going to get to Exo but here I am now."

"You're making me more excited for rehearsal now, Song Meena!" Im Yoonji exclaimed.

"Hey, do you know when rehearsal starts?" Arden inquired.

"We all have schedules, did they not tell you?" Kim Ara said. Arden shook her head. She told her there were copies of the schedule in the kitchen.

"I'll pick up my copy in a little bit, I still have so much to unpack."

"Oh my goodness, we still have to put our room intact. I'm sorry if you saw that monster of a pigsty!" Kim Ara interjected.

"Let's leave Arden alone, so she can unpack, she brought a lot of stuff from America," Song Meena indicated.

"Canada," Arden corrected. "It was nice meeting all of you," Arden mentioned.

"You as well. We'll see you later." said Kim Ara. The two girls left Arden and Im Yoonji's room. Arden turned her attention to her bags.

"I think you can use some help," Im Yoonji chimed, taking one of her bags. Arden smiled.

Arden took out her duvet and pillows and began to make her bed. She began to sort her clothes into the closet after. The closet was not massive and she packed her entire wardrobe; she felt sorry for Im Yoonji.

When Im Yoonji opened one of Arden's bags, she gasped. Arden turned to look at her and she let out a giggle.

"I have no idea where I'm going to put those," she implicated, glancing over at the stacks of hardcovers.

"You have a lot of favourite books. God, this bag is so heavy!"

"There's only a couple favourites in there. I buy a lot of books and plan to read all of those."

"We're going to have to buy some shelves first." her roommate proclaimed.

"Just put the bag under my bed." Arden unpacked much quicker with Im Yoonji's help.

"Are you excited to meet them?" Im Yoonji inquired. She must've been referring to Exo.

Arden nodded her head with a smile. "Yes, of course." She wanted to meet Exo, the group that young girls idolized and followed religiously. She wanted to see their personalities come to life in front of her. But she especially wanted to see the lead dancer, the bronze-skinned member, known as Kai. He probably won't remember her, they were so busy with too many schedules, how could they remember such small incidents? However, deep down, Arden hoped he was going to remember her. The memories came flooding back…

She stood outside the S.M. building waiting for her ride after her audition. Every moment of her audition was slowly being recapped as her earbuds were playing music. The audition could've been described as a mess; she entered the stage with the biggest shock she ever experienced. Behind the judges were each Exo member seated in the auditorium. Something about their unexpected presence put her mind to chaos and she switched to panic mode. She could hardly speak, her breaths fast and short, and she was ready to burst tears. But she recovered. After being pulled off the stage by her dear agent, Stephanie, she calmed down then performed her audition piece.

When Arden waited for her ride after her audition, Kai suddenly appeared at her presence. She didn't know where he came from. Of course, she was aware he was watching her audition, but she presumed that he left immediately when it ended. He had said something to her but his voice was muffled out by her earbuds. When she turned around she nearly froze at the sight of him. He told her that she did well on her audition. She thanked him. But then he said something that was peculiar to her.

 _"When I found out it was you auditioning, I knew you were going to do well."_ He knew? What did he know? It turned out that he knew all about her, and her dancing, and her dance crew.

 _"You are one of the best dancers I've seen on Youtube."_  She felt a fluttery feeling when anyone gave her such a compliment but when Kai said it, her chest jolted. The thought of a famous dancer admiring her skills was surreal.

Their conversation wasn't very long. On the contrary, it was quite brief. But one of the last things he told her was  _"Enjoy your stay in Seoul. I hope to see you in rehearsal."_  She was nonchalant over the comment initially. But when she briefly returned to Canada, that remark was all she could think about. Seeing him in rehearsal would indicate to him that she made it. Would Kai show proudness? What would he do or say? She would have to see.

"Arden," Im Yoonji interjected.

"Y-yes?" she flinched, more alarmed now. She reacted quickly from her daydreaming. "What about you, are you excited?"

"Oh, I can't wait!" she enthused, her eyes grinning. "Just the thought of dancing with them thrills me,"

"Me too," Arden agreed, a smile reforming.

* * *

Exhaustion fell on Arden after dinner from the effects of jet lag. Everyone in the dorm retired to their rooms after nine. Arden prepared herself for bed, ready to pass out as she was brushing her teeth when she remembered the schedule that is yet to be picked up.

She made her way to the kitchen in her pajamas to find the papers, they were hung with a magnet on the side of the fridge. She retrieved the papers. There was still one more copy left. It was reserved for the last dancer. She wondered where she was; did she genuinely turn down the deal? Was S.M. finding a replacement as that thought crossed Arden's mind?

Arden was about to return to her room when she suddenly became alarmed. A fiddling noise came from the front door.

The door thrust open and revealed a girl wearing a long grey coat and a black hat who was carrying two suitcases. She used her shoulder to keep the door open so that she could push through. She kicked the door closed behind her with her sneaker. The hallway was very dark so Arden jogged down the hallway to turn on the light for her. The girl looked up at Arden when she was alerted by the switch of lights.

Arden smiled at her. "Are you the last dancer?"

The girl frowned at her. "And does being the first supposedly make it better, what are you trying to say?" she retorted. Arden felt her jaw drop. She was taken aback by her unfriendly response in contrast to the other's girls' warm welcoming.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just got here today too," Arden replied in defence. Although the girl's hair was covered by her hat, she could see her strawberry blonde locks that hung at her chest.

"I had a very long drive and if I'm going to have to deal with your feelings of superiority because you're the only dancer that's not Asian, then I will not hesitate to put you in your place because I have no tolerance for people who think they're better than everyone else," she denounced. Arden was completely gobsmacked, her eyes were as wide as they could expand.

"I said two sentences to you. You don't even know who I am, who do  _you_ think you are to belittle someone whom you don't even know the name of yet?" Arden shot back.

"Of course, I know your name, that's all I was hearing while I was in training;  _how a Western dancer was picked because she's famous and now she's dancing with Exo_." she quoted.

Arden's voice went very low. "You make it sound like I won a lottery..." And what was she training for?

"That is exactly how it played out. You know how hard dancers like me have worked to be in the entertainment business and you just come in because you're from America?" Arden held her breath and pursed her lips.

"I'm from Canada." she said calmly. Her blood was heating up.

"And that's where you should be," the girl panned. Arden's fingers were tense as the girl's hostile eyes pierced into hers.

Arden suddenly looked to her right when a door creaked open, she noticed the other girls making their way down the hallway in their pajamas.

Kim Ara appeared and she sought the girl at the door. The girl was no longer grimacing at Arden anymore.

"Oh, you must be the fifth remaining dancer!" Kim Ara said joyously.

"Yes, that would be me," the girl smiled at her. It was as if she didn't smile often or never smiled because her grin looked disgustingly forced. The other girls introduced themselves to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Han Daehyun." she greeted in such an approachable manner.

"Well, you guys can show the room she'll be staying in, I'm so jet lagged I need to rest," Arden announced with a changed demeanour.

"Sleep well, Arden." Kim Ara grinned at her. 

"Goodnight." She faced who she now knew as Han Daehyun, and proceeded down the hallway. When she reached her shared room, a rush of sadness weighed her down.

She closed the door and turned off the lights. Her face was hot from fury. She couldn't believe someone could be so hostile, Han Daehyun was ignorant to what she went through to get where she is right now. It may not have been the same experience as others but it was still obstacles.

Arden hoped that this girl was just tired from, what looked like, an exhausting day for her and that she didn't really mean the things she said to her. She looked down on her lap; her schedule was still in her hands. She glanced at the paper.

_Thursday: 8:00am - 8:30pm_

That's the day after tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

_I imagined 'A Few Years Later' by Block B playing in the background at the beginning of this chapter :) Seems like the perfect soundtrack for this first chapter. Next chapter will be posted on Sunday where all the action with Exo starts! If you have any thoughts, don't hesitate to share them!_


	2. (The First) Rehearsal

The S.M. building was in walking distance, but Kim Ara had a car and she drove herself and the girls to the destination. Arden was sandwiched in between Im Yoonji and Han Daehyun in the backseat of the car. Han Daehyun clamped herself against her side of the car as much as she could and glued her eyes to the window; the gap she created between her and Arden was so awkward, that Arden felt uncomfortable for the entire car ride.

The building was huge, Arden was already feeling lost and she hadn’t even entered the building yet.

"All the studios and practice rooms are in one section of the building," Song Meena revealed, unworried. She sported three-stripe Adidas pants, they complimented her long, sleek legs. She wore a white translucent off-shoulder top with a short black tank top underneath.

"Be our guide, Meena, you know this place like the back of your hand," Kim Ara told her. The girls followed Song Meena down many corridors until they reached the studio halls which seemed to be already active with people inside the rooms.

Song Meena knocked harshly on the door she stopped in front of. It momentarily opened. An older man stood in front of the girls, his jet black hair was flat, he had crinkles by his eyes and a cleft chin.

"Annyeonghaseyo," he greeted. The girls bowed their heads immediately. "Come in, the boys should be arriving soon," Arden recognized the man from her audition, but his name escaped her. The girls placed their bags and jackets in the girl's change room.

The dance room was significantly big, it had to be to fit over ten bodies in the room.

"I've been in this room before with TVXQ a couple times, this is one of the biggest dance studios in the building." Song Meena said. Arden gazed into the mirror in front of her which extended to nearly every single wall in the room.

Arden kept her gaze in the mirror; she sported a white tank top and a newer pair of black jogger pants with black shoes. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail with her side bangs brushed off to the right side.

She stretched her arms when she noticed a door in the back of the room suddenly open in the reflection. The door opened and revealed a pair of long legs entering the studio, the head was concealed in a black cap that lifted up and looked at Arden first. Two big doe eyes met Arden's in the mirror's reflection, and her chest thumped. She dropped her arms after she acknowledged the doe eyes of Chanyeol.

The girls were quick to adjust themselves to more presentable profiles as the members came rolling in. Arden continued to look at them through the reflection, many of them were clothed in black and sported baggy sweaters, sneakers and some of them wore hats. Looks were being exchanged between Arden and every member who was walking in, along with the rest of the girls.

One particular person walked in behind a tired, pure looking Lay, and suddenly Arden's eyes grew wide. She couldn't help but reminisce what he had said; he told her that he wanted to see her at rehearsal, and there she was, looking at Kai. She quickly took her gaze off him only to notice a vivid Chen coming in. Her chest thudded at him, it thudded for every member that walked in but it really kicked in for Chen. She tore her eyes from him before he could look at her.

"Come on, quick, you guys!" called the man who welcomed the girls into the room. Arden and the girls grouped in together as the last remaining members entered in. All of them seemed to be present until Arden gave a long and scanning look around the room and noticed one member was missing. Luhan wasn't anywhere to be seen, he was probably absent due to health problems as Arden had read in a news article a while ago. Director Kang wasted no time and began talking as soon as all ten of the guys were in the room.

"I wanted to make a proper introduction when the entire group was here. Hello, my name is Kang Jungyeoh, I am the director of the company's dance department. I manage many of the auditions in Korea and sometimes abroad in China and America and judge for them. I have also choreographed for Exo before. For this comeback, I'll be working very closely with you because I'm choreographing many of the dances that involve the backup dancers." Kang Jungyeoh. The name dawned on her. The email, the email about the audition that she was invited to, it was signed by Kang Jungyeoh. He had contacted and wrote to her, and he judged her dancing. Now he was her choreographer.

"Boys, these are the girls you will be working with for the two years. You are professionals so I expect you to act professional, any foolishness or incompetence will not be tolerated." The boys, who were now standing closer to the girls, looked over at the girls.

Arden glanced at them once more. But when she examined them closer, she noticed how startlingly different they appeared; blemishes, skin breakouts and visible marks plastered some of their faces, Arden was so accustomed to their flawless skin on screen that she was dumbfounded of their genuine appearance. Their hair was flat and undone, and others were wearing hats to cover their hair and their eyes weren't as accentuated without makeup.

One of these blemished faces was looking at her with awestruck eyes.

"She made the cut!" Chanyeol said directly to her.

"That is her!" Baekhyun chimed in with smiling puppy eyes. The rest of the boys seemed to have noticed her with this drawn attention.

"Ah, congratulations," Suho put out. Arden awkwardly bowed her head as she felt every pair of eyes in the room glued to her. So they remembered her audition.

"Yes, we can surely work very close with each other now," Chen said almost teasingly. Arden felt her face heat up as she frowned in confusion.

"Enough, Chen," Lay told him, a little more awake now. Arden knew she was missing something but didn't know what exactly.

"You can introduce yourselves later, we have to get down to business now." Kang Jungyeoh implied. "Kai, will you lead in warm-up?" Everyone turned their heads to Kai, Arden found him standing behind the other guys.

"Okay." he agreed, adjusting his hat. All the girls were at the front. Kai went to his spot right in front of the mirrors, facing the crowd of dancers as an upbeat song started to play. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black jogger pants and athletic shoes. Arden looked at him intently, waiting for him to notice her. He scanned the room and finally acknowledged Arden who was on his left side, he abruptly tore his glance from her.

Kai began a warm up. He stared ahead of the crowd he was leading. She didn't understand the expression he gave her before; he looked disinterested as if he didn't want to see her face. Perhaps, she misunderstood his unreadable face.

"Since it's been awhile since you've rehearsed, I want to go over the last dance that Jungsoo was teaching you." Kang Jungyeoh directly stated to Exo after stretching.

"Where is Jungsoo today?" D.O. questioned.

"He couldn't make it so I have his notes to work with. He should be back tomorrow." he told them. Jungsoo must be another choreographer, Arden thought.

"Let me see what you have so far."

"We finished it," answered Xiumin.

"Let's run Call Me Baby then." Call Me Baby. Arden never heard that title before, that must be one of their new songs. She would be hearing Exo's new songs for their upcoming album before anyone else could. She felt grinned in excitement over this realization.

The song started playing and the band began dancing and singing along to their own song. Kang Jungyeoh examined their dance, walking back and forth. Arden's eyes were glued onto the band as she watched their new choreography; it wasn't as intensive or difficult as their previous dances were. It felt like a new atmosphere, the new track had a strong, repetitive hook; Call me baby, call me baby, call me baby, call me baby.

"It looks...fun," Kim Ara commented, placing the right word.

"And quite simple," Han Daehyun declared. When the rap part came, there seemed to be complications. Some of them forgot where to go as they surrounded Chanyeol.

"Where are you supposed to be?" Kang Jungyeoh asked Suho and Baekhyun in particular.

"Jungsoo changed some of this part and we're not sure where we are supposed to stand." Suho justified.

Xiumin recapped their positions. Suho and Baekhyun were relieved and fixed themselves into the spots they were supposed to be in. Kang Jungyeoh kept on going over that part with them, insisting that it needed to be polished.

Chanyeol's rap part and the ending were the most time consuming to go over. The ending was rough.

"Chen, we don't do the entire chorus dance for the last Call me baby!" Suho addressed him.

"I'm not the only one who's forgetting!" he remarked, referring to Chanyeol and Tao who was also making mistakes.

"Know your part, boys, you're all doing the same synchronized moves at this point." Kang Jungyeoh affirmed. The more Exo went over Call Me Baby, the more errors Kang Jungyeoh pointed out. He had a perfectionist's eye; every movement had to be sharp and pristine, or he would call out on them for it.

"There is no reason you should be forgetting any dance moves after all the hours of practice, you need to wake up now!" Kai advanced them through the band's struggles with the parts they needed to patch up, Lay assisted them too. The band looked like they were just enduring the dance now. They did look focused the first round but also enjoyed it, they were far from enjoying themselves now. Arden wondered if their practices were always like this.

Call Me Baby took two and a half hours to go over and the guys already looked washed out.

Exo trudged out for a water break before they quickly returned to the dance room. Exo started their first dance with their backup dancers. The song was titled Transformer and it was one of their new tracks.

"Oh baby, baby, baby..." Director Kang danced to the chorus in track pants and a black shirt.

"Cause you're a — you're a — you're a transformer." Chanyeol's rap came in contrast to the powerful vocals. Director Kang explained what the dance was going to look like on the stage; it began with Chanyeol opening, then Kai coming in with his rap from one side of the stage, and the girls entering in from the opposite side. Kai followed Director's lead as he was showing him where to go.

He moved onto the girls and told them where they would be placed on the stage, he placed them in a diagonal line.

"Arden, I want you at the front. Meena, you're blocking Ara, go behind her," he instructed. Arden and Song Meena moved into their new spots. Arden pursued to get the moves right on the first try, after witnessing Director's blunt criticism on the Exo members who messed up, she didn't want a repeat of that on her.

Director Kang worked with each of them. Everyone quickly got the hang of the first verse, it was the easiest part. It was the chorus that was difficult, it consisted of a lot of place switching from the backup dancers behind individual Exo members to shifting beside them and in front. Director Kang had to go over and lead the chorus a couple times until everyone adjusted to it.

The next part opened with Baekhyun's vocals, Kim Ara came up to him, leading him forward, controlling the blocking. Han Daehyun was instructed to do the same thing with Suho.

Arden's place in the back felt foreign to her; being a lead dancer in her own crew, she was constantly at the front. Arden had to remind herself to get used to this from now on as a backup dancer, dancing in the background.

During the chorus, she suddenly let out a whimper when a body slammed into her side.

"I'm so sorry!" Tao cried. He towered over her.

"Gwaenchanha," Arden replied, rubbing her arm.

"Tao, you were supposed to go to the right, you did the opposite and crashed into the poor girl," Xiumin said.

"Are you hurt?" Lay inquired.

Arden shook her head, smiling reassuringly. "I'll be fine, thank you."

"Let's focus, especially you, Tao, get your head on straight or don't bother having one at all!" Kang Jungyeoh enforced.

Director Kang wanted everyone to go over the entire choreography. After a couple rounds of polishing, their choreographer still had the same uncertain expression glued on his face.

"What's the problem, Director?" Kim Ara questioned him.

"There is no personality or expression in any of you, everyone is just soulless moving bodies," he began. He suddenly turned his attention to the girls. "I'm looking for empowerment here, you have ten guys at your hands, act like their goddesses, and look effortlessly sexy," Kang Jungyeoh stressed. None of the girls uttered a word back at him. Arden felt like there were lasers darting at her as she noticed the band staring at her and the rest of the girls. "Let's take it from the top, with attitude this time."

They ran it again. Arden became more immersed in the dance to give off more "attitude", but the feeling was draining as the atmosphere was empty. That same emptiness was felt while watching Call Me Baby. Kang Jungyeoh was never going to be satisfied.

The hours flew by fast; everyone started to grow tired. Even Arden herself, who has danced continuously for hours on end before, couldn't produce enough energy to make her body move to its full potential. Her stomach started to grumble, she and everyone else had consumed nothing besides water for the past couple of hours.

"Everyone has been working hard. Let's go for a break," Kang Jungyeoh declared. Arden hadn't heard more sighs of relief in her life until everyone in the room exhaled one.

"I can use a coppie," Kim Ara told Song Meena, referring to coffee.

"Oh, me too," she agreed. They both left the studio together, Xiumin and Chen both walked out the door as well, along with Sehun and Baekhyun.

"Lay hyung, wake me up when it's five thirty," Tao told him as he sprawled himself on the ground with an arm covering his eyes. A murmur came out of Lay as his head hung forward with his eyes closed, down against the mirror.

Chanyeol walked into the change room along with Kai. Arden grabbed a few snacks from her bag and Im Yoonji sat and ate with her. Han Daehyun sat by herself and ate. Arden sensed no social vibes from anyone; D.O. and Suho were sitting in their own area, both staring at their phones. Meanwhile, Kai was in a different corner of the room with earbuds plugged in his ears and was also staring into his phone.

"I thought they would be more lively than this," Im Yoonji confessed, looking around her. Arden looked at her and quietly nodded her head. They're so secluded, Arden thought. She thought they would've been more engaging, especially with how they are in variety shows, they showed personalities that everyone wanted to be around. Arden wondered where those personalities went.

Xiumin and Chen returned to the studio with coffee cups. Chen suddenly jerked his head at the crowd.

"The hyungs are practically dead! We should've brought back coffee for everyone, Minseok," Chen said. Arden looked around her once again; it wasn't just Tao and Lay who were sleeping; Kai's head hung over his shoulder with his earbuds plugged in, D.O.'s body melted back into the mirror and floor as his eyes were shut and his arms were crossed.

"They just need a little rest," Suho said drowsily, his eyes continually drooping. Baekhyun and Sehun suddenly strolled in followed by Kang Jungyeoh and Song Meena and Kim Ara.

"Okay, break is over!" Director Kang announced, closing the door. Sehun and Baekhyun moaned and groaned at their choreographer.

"Wae?" Chen whined. Arden grinned to herself, Chen's long waes were always cute.

"Ten more minutes," Tao moaned.

"Back to work, boys," Director said, nudging his leg. Tao flinched and moaned again while Lay began to stir.

Arden noticed that Kai was still asleep in the corner as she was heading to the girl's change room. She bent down in front of him and lightly tapped his shoulder with two fingers.

"We're going back," she told him when she tapped him again. His head jerked up and his dark bangs fell over his eyes. He looked at her while he was still stirring.

When she saw him outside the S.M. building after her audition, he was radiant. She gave him a smile, a more knowing one. Maybe he couldn't recognize her earlier, but now that she was face to face, he couldn't miss her. But Kai dismissed her smile, his gazed directed itself to the floor as he stood himself up, removing the earbuds and walked passed her.

"Has anyone seen Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asked no one in particular.

"I didn't see him leave the studio." Sehun pointed out. Arden recalled the last time she saw him; she remembered him walk into the change room. She didn't remember him coming out.

"I found him." Kai declared. He stood in the doorway of the boy's change room, staring at the ground in front of him. Arden could see a pair of long legs and big shoes peeking out on the floor of the doorway.

"Bring a sleeping bag next time!" Chen crackled.

"Believe it or not, we actually need him out here to dance, so get him out here," demanded Kang Jungyeoh.

Dance rehearsal resumed and went on until 8:30 when it was supposed to end.

"I'm proud of you guys, we finished Transformer today, and started another song, go rest and recharge for tomorrow now," Kang Jungyeoh said. Arden looked over at the guys, some of their faces were plastered with bitterness when he had mentioned rest. Why would they be bitter about getting rest?

"Our stylists are waiting," Chanyeol mumbled to the others. Arden frowned; why would they need their stylists now? They don't dress them for bed, do they?

The girls left the studio together, they were all exhausted as most of them went straight to their rooms when they got home.

Arden started to wonder if all groups were the way Exo was today. Arden went to retrieve a glass of water, Song Meena was standing in the kitchen. Perhaps, she would know.

"Do you think they were being a bit weird today? None of them were engaging or vibrant, and they seem like such friendly and fun people on Happy Camp and Weekly Idol." It was a thought she held in all day.

Song Meena shrugged at her. "Every idol and group are different. When I was dancing for a rookie girl group, none of them talked to me. What a bunch of snobs they were, I'm so glad that group is now defunct." She took a short gulp of her glass of water. "But of course they're not themselves, they're under a lot of pressure." Song Meena explained. When Arden started to look deep in thought she spoke again.

"Don't go crazy over it, we're here to work as their backup dancers. We aren't meant to have close relationships with idols, so don't expect it to happen," Song Meena spoke with a sharp tone.

"I didn't say I was looking for new found relationships," Arden replied defensively.

"Well, good, keep it that way." She eyed as she sipped her glass. "Because you will get hurt once you have one."

* * *

The next couple rehearsals were a repeat of the first one; dancing for long hours, Kang Jungyeoh yelling at them for everything thing they don't get right, and Exo completely drained of any personality left in them.

"They're all dancing zombies," Im Yoonji remarked as the girls were going home after one practice. Luhan still hadn't been seen, Arden wondered when he would be coming back.

Their rehearsals have been cut shorter recently, so everyone was released earlier, which the girls didn't mind at all. Maybe Arden could finally go out and get that Korean plan for her phone that she had been putting off since her arrival.

The next rehearsal was a full one that ended after 8 pm. Arden felt like she still didn't know Exo, even after all the time spent with them. The aspects that she knew about them was taken from observing what they did during rehearsal; Chen really likes coffee, Chanyeol always wears hats, Tao sleeps every chance he gets (he'd probably sleep while dancing if he could), Suho has a tendency to speak for others, and D.O...looks as if he wishes to be anywhere else than the dance studio. The rest of the group, she couldn't decipher at all simply because there was nothing they did or said that expressed anything about who they were.

Their weary nature always seemed to go over Kang Jungyeoh's head as normal behaviour. But today, there was a new depth to their usual colourless nature; they were unresponsive. They may have been drained-looking but they worked like machines when they danced; those machines were starting to break down.

"Are you all on drugs today?" Director Kang said aggressively. "I'm telling you something and everyone is looking at me with their eyes half-closed, some of you are dozing off at a wall!" When no one said anything he retaliated again. "Are you all this way because of Luhan? He's finished with Exo, he's already back in China and he's moving on, you need to stop dwelling in the past!" Arden's eyes suddenly popped and her head whipped up at Director Kang. Luhan was absent again today. Now she knew he was absent for good.

"And your dancing is so ungodly terrible today, disabled people can produce better movements you," Kim Jungsoo, the assistant choreographer that looked to be Arden's age, jeered at them. The comment went over their heads. The mention of Luhan must have been a sensitive subject that overlapped any comment.

"This process is becoming more and more difficult because of this attitude of yours, if you are not willing to work with me, then you will hear from the chairman because your comeback won't be selling well. I don't want to envision the consequences faced if that happens."

"Then tell them to stop giving us so many schedules!" Arden jumped out of her skin at the sudden outburst. When she heard the voice and looked over at the person who had said it, she was astounded. "I feel like I'll collapse any minute now, and I'm not the only one who feels that way, we're all tired and have no stamina to keep ourselves awake when we're coming home at two O'clock in the morning!" This was coming from one of the passionate dancers of Exo, Sehun's face was steaming red like his dyed auburn hair. Arden looked incredulously at him, some of the other girls shared the same expression. How is it even possible to come home that late?

The band exchanged looks with each other, Chen put a hand on D.O.'s shoulder while nodding at him. Chanyeol mentioned on the night of their first rehearsal that their stylists were waiting for them when practice ended; they were going to do more promotions on top of an intensive dance schedule. Eyes sympathized with each other, Sehun's abrupt outburst could've easily angered any teacher, especially Kang Jungyeoh. But his eyes narrowed at all of them with his arms crossed, looking them up and down in a moment of realization.

"Why are you still getting full schedules?" Director demanded.

"They want us to keep promoting because of Exo'LUXION, our first solo tour, they want to have every show sold out," Suho informed. Director Kang abruptly shook his head in disapproval.

"No, no, no, you can't be everywhere and all over the place, this is the main focus right now, preparing for your comeback, I told them we have to get this done. I can't have you guys like this during rehearsals, there's absolutely no way you will perform well for the comeback if you're this drained. The tour's been selling tickets off the roof, there's no need for all this promoting." Everyone agreed eagerly, especially Sehun whose complexion was returning to normal after his face had reddened with fury.

"I will deal with this, I will make sure this does not happen again, if I see you like this again then I'll have to put up some real action against your managers." Sighs of relief flooded the air. Jungsoo, the other choreographer stood by. He only seemed to speak if it added to what Jungyeoh was saying.

"Thank you, Director." Chanyeol spoke with a bow in respect, an echo of thanks and repeated gestures followed. Kang Jungyeoh briefly scanned his class, his thick dark eyes were always furrowed, Arden called them ‘angry brows’, similar to Sehun's, she found.

"I advise you to take some medicine before we continue, it's the only thing you can do for now, I'm calling a ten-minute rest for everyone," he announced. Exo poured into their change room, probably popping vitamins and other medicines to aid their health.

Arden's water bottle was empty when she went to drink it. On her way down to the refill station, she spotted no other than Lay there, filling his own bottle. He was finished by the time she arrived and he moved aside. She looked at him and smiled politely, he gave her a pure, dimply grin. The tired rested in his eyes and Arden smiled sympathetically at him.

"Fighting!" she said, her hand balled into a fist. Lay grinned again. There was a part of her that wanted to ask why Luhan left the group but she figured that would be a better question for a better day.

Arden had witnessed people who overworked themselves, herself included, and then people who were overworked. A person could be dehumanized as a result, and after what happened in the studio today, Arden saw how the exhaustion in Exo was eating them away. They were willing to do this for the benefit of the people, to please their audience with their appearance on every program, that is what defined entertainment. They were entertainers, their careers revolved around an audience who they had devoted themselves to. And soon after, their life became the audience, it didn't belong to their own selves anymore, their human lives were not determined by them, but the people.

Arden suddenly grew frightened, not for herself but for them. She had no idea what she got into.


	3. Coffee Time

 

 

Everything resumed to the way they were as if nothing had happened. Kang Jungyeoh and Kim Jungsoo were teaching a new dance today. This one was called  _Exodus_ , it differed from  _Transformer_ , starting with Kang Jungyeoh assigning 'partners'.

"Song Meena should go with Chanyeol," Director Kang declared. Song Meena exchanged a look with the girls before walking over to him.

"Are we making Chanyeol a lead in this?" Kim Jungsoo questioned Director Kang. Chanyeol's dough eyes expanded at the mention of 'lead'.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. The height difference of Meena and Chanyeol are even and I have an idea for Chanyeol's solo part of the song." He stared at Chanyeol and Song Meena in deep thought. "Let's worry about them after. Kyungsoo and Yoonji, together please." Im Yoonji snuck the littlest grin to Arden before heading to D.O.

Sehun was asked to briefly stand next to Kim Ara. They were partnered together.

Arden could sense Han Daehyun looking at her as she was standing afar from on her left side. They were the only two girls remaining.

"Kai and Daehyun," Kim Jungsoo announced. Han Daehyun tried her best to hide her growing smile. Arden faced her choreographers again, waiting for her assigned partner.

"Arden, you're going to be with Lay," Kang Jungyeoh said quickly. Arden smiled, she always imagined working with him.

"Are you sure about that, Jungyeoh?" Kim Jungsoo interrupted. Arden stopped at the middle of the floor and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, is there an issue with that?" Director questioned him.

"We want Lay to be in the centre, I think Arden should be kept more to the side." Everyone's eyes lied on Arden, she tried to fathom what he was suggesting. The only thing she could factor from it was that he wanted someone else to be in the centre.

"Why should we do that?" Arden wanted to know the same thing.

"I think Ara and Lay would look great together, Ara has that spotlight look to her that she shares with Lay." Arden couldn't believe her ears. He indicated that she didn't look good enough to be in the centre.  _I must be so unsuitable for the front and centre that I lead a dance crew!_ She wanted to scream.

"We're not changing the partners, Lay and Arden's style complements each other and Arden makes a powerful lead as well as Lay," Kang Jungyeoh finalized. Arden felt her spirits heighten.  _Powerful lead_ , the two words replayed in her head.

They began to rehearse with their new partners. Arden's thoughts were trapped by the words of Kim Jungsoo despite Kang Jungyeoh's comments. She developed a habit of looking at Kim Ara through the mirror, Kim Jungsoo may have been irrational with his suggestion but he wasn't wrong about her; Kim Ara was stunning, her smiled was glowing, her skin was radiant and milky smooth. Her physique was attractive, long and willowy, and her dancing was sexy but sophisticated. She belonged in the centre.

The choreography was much more intimate with physicality than  _Transformer_ , when Arden thought  _partners_ , she depicted it as a couple dance moves with her partner. But a couple moves was an overstatement. No one was once separated from their partners.

 _Exodus_  began with all the partners spread out and then they bunched in together at the start of the first verse. There was one dance move where Lay was behind Arden on a profile position, and he encircled his arms around her waist but didn't touch her skin, both of their lower bodies twisted at the lyric  _Banjjack, banjjack_. Similar movements corresponded throughout the dance. Arden had a faint feeling of awkwardness, she didn't know Lay and she feared she was going to fart or do something else embarrassing.

When Kim Jungsoo showed the choreography for the chorus, using Song Meena to demonstrate the female role, there was no belief that Arden will reciprocate it with her partner. There was one significant dance move that she didn't feel comfortable doing with Lay.

At the part where it sings  _Exodus, Exodus, it's my Exodus,_  the female spins her finger, looks at her partner and brings his face and body closer to him, the female dancer turns her head away and both dancers body roll almost too thoroughly. First, their chest rolls back, the female's back presses back into the male's front, then a slow roll of the hip sways back for the last  _Exodus._

They tested out the chorus. The gawkiness was felt and was displayed through the mirrors. Arden loathed that part where she had to make eye contact with Lay, their faces were too close for personal space.

The lyrics played through the speakers.  _Exodus,_ Arden spun her finger, Lay turned his body and brought his face close to hers. " _Exodus,_ " Arden turned her head; make this forced eye contact stop, she thought. _._   _It's my eexoodus._  She bodyrolled back like a wave that connected to Lay who did the same movement. Why does this movement have to be painfully long? That was one of the million thoughts running through her head.

"Stop, stop, stop, I cannot watch this anymore!" spurted Director Kang. Everyone came to an abrupt stop, the room was completely still.

"That was... uncomfortable, painful to watch, what's wrong with everyone's faces, some of you look far too serious, and others look like they urgently need to use the washroom," he criticized the dancers. "I told you to have attitude in  _Transformer_ , that's been missing in every dance, show a connection with each other on stage!"

"How can we show a connection when we don't know them at all? If they weren't famous, I wouldn't have a clue about any of them." Kim Ara gusted out.

"She's right, it's uncomfortable to do that dance with someone you don't know at all. I became comfortable with Changmin and Yunho after getting to know them and we gained each other's trust. Then, dancing with them became fun. You should know, Director, you were there," Song Meena added.

"I agree, Director, it's like kissing someone in a play or movie, you have to know who you're working with before you can be open to doing it." D.O. implicated.

Everyone nodded their heads, including Kang Jungyeoh.

"That's reasonable. But what do you want me to do about it? Is playing 'Break the Ice' really going to help you? These rehearsals have been pushed back, we can't waste time."

"Well it's been five hours and it's noon; so why don't we have a rest and we can get coffee with our backup dancers?" Chen suggested smartly.

"I like that idea!" Baekhyun imputed.

"We promise we will work harder, I know it has been very stressful for you and Jungsoo trying to make up the delayed rehearsals, but we will be right on top of things once we learn to be a team," Chanyeol proposed. Kang Jungyeoh exchanged looks with Kim Jungsoo.

"They have to be a team, and you have to know your teammates to become one," Kim Jungsoo said passively. Chanyeol grinned a toothy grin along with some of the other guys.

"Alright. Be back in forty-five minutes." A wailing scream suddenly echoed through the room that was too familiar to everyone. Chen was bouncing in excitement with Xiumin and Baekhyun.

Arden had left her wallet in her bag. The girls walked into the change room together, but she was alone by the time she reached her bag since they rushed out so quick.

She grabbed her wallet and was about to zip up her bag until she noticed a paperback at the bottom; the instant temptation pushed her fingers toward the book. It was time to get to know the Exo members who were presumed to have no real personalities until now, not catch up on reading. But she brought a paperback everywhere.

When Arden walked out the door, she made contact with Lay who was making his way out the studio. He smiled at her and she politely returned the gesture.

"Are you getting a coffee too?" he asked her.

"No, just hot chocolate. I don't like caffeine," she told him.

"I prefer tea. I want to tell you that you did an excellent job on the dance. You work very hard."

Arden smiled, flattered. "Thanks, Lay. You don't have to speak formally to me, I want you to be comfortable with me since we're partners."  _Are you sure about that?_ The voice of Kim Jungsoo rang in her head.  _Ara and Lay would look good together._

"Well...partners for now at least," she added.

Lay's eyes frowned at Arden's remark. "What do you mean?"

"Director could still change his mind. Kim Jungsoo did make some valid points, Kim Ara looks so good, why shouldn't she be at the centre? She's suitable for the position more than I -"

"Did you miss everything Director said? You're not someone who should be pushed off to the side, don't listen to Jungsoo, he can be very idealistic," Lay reasoned.

"But Kim Ara..."

"It has nothing to do with that," he vaguely claimed.

"Then what does it have to do with?" Arden pressed.

Lay's head leant in and his voice sunk low. "I don't think this is the time and place to talk about it. Just don't worry what Jungsoo thinks. You're a great partner and Director's right about our styles, our dancing goes together and no one is planning to replace you." The words were coming from someone she barely knew but they were words of a friend.

"Thanks, Lay," she said. "And my dancing will be less awkward, I promise."

He laughed. "That's understandable. Everyone is awkward right now. It will only get better, though."

They reached the coffee shop. It was a small booth with limited tables, the entire entourage of Exo and the girls filled the tables. Coffee was complimentary as it was self-served. Arden ordered her hot chocolate while Lay put together his tea.

"I can bring it to you," the lady behind the register said. She looked back at the tables; everyone was involved in active conversations, there was little room for more people. It wouldn't matter if she came or not.

"Coming Awden?" Lay said. She smiled at his accent. She looked at the packed tables again. Going back to the studio wasn't the worst idea in the world, she could read her book there.

"I don't think there's enough room - You should join them," she said self-consciously.

"Come on," he encouraged. Arden didn't form words to decline so she followed him to the busy tables. There were five tables, two of which were conjoined, and two tables on either side them and a chair filled every side of each table.

"You aren't going to leave us out, now are you?" Lay said aloud to the table on the outskirts.

"There's still plenty of room," Suho said.

"You can have my seat, I just finished my coffee." Xiumin invited Arden as Lay went to get more chairs.

"Thank you." She smiled and bowed her head. She sat in her seat and was across from Suho, Lay sat diagonal from her in the square table. Xiumin sat behind Arden, in the gap between the outskirt table and the conjoined one.

"I knew you looked familiar," Chanyeol spoke in the conversation down from Arden's table.

"I used to look up to Yunho for my dancing," said Sehun, sipping his bubble tea. He sat parallel to Chanyeol in the conjoined table.

"I appeared in the video for two seconds." Song Meena pointed out; she must've been talking about her experience with TVXQ.

"Chanyeol is always looking at the backup dancers." Chen chuckled, sitting next to him. He was on Arden's right and was the closest to her from that table. Kim Ara and Song Meena both giggled, they were beside each other, upright and across from both Chen and Chanyeol.

"Oh, he was so excited to find out we were getting backup dancers." Chen sniggered.

"I've been with the same people since debut and even before that, a change is nice once in a while," he stated, only making Chen giggle more. "Besides... I sure wasn't the only one who was excited." Chanyeol eyed Chen intensely which made Baekhyun and Xiumin laugh.

The lady from the register came with Arden's hot chocolate. "Ooh, that looks good!" Im Yoonji perked sitting at the conjoined table with her head turned to Arden. That conjoined table was overly crowded.

" _Wae_? I was only excited for Arden!" Arden was already listening but with wide eyes, her head abruptly whipped at Chen.

"Chen, are you still going on about that?" Tao shouted from the opposite end of the tables. She didn't notice Kai before who was at Tao's table at the very end, and his seat was facing the complete view of the tables. D.O. sat across from Tao, and Han Daehyun's seat was between Chanyeol's table and Tao's.

"That was one video! What if she changed her mind, that's not difficult to do with you." Baekhyun said savagely.

" _Wae_? I'm handsome too and I'm a fantastic singer, I can sing the lowest notes!" Arden exchanged a look with Im Yoonji completely baffled. She shrugged her shoulders for a response.

"What is everyone talking about?" Arden asked anxiously.

"In a video, you said that Chen was your bias and his face was on your shirt. Chen wouldn't stop mentioning it ever since we found out you were chosen as one of our dancers." Suho explained. Arden knew exactly what video they were talking about and her eyes popped; it was a dance video to Exo's song  _Thunder_.

"You saw that video?" she uttered, absolutely dumbfounded.

"And many others," Lay chimed in.

"Oh my God," she blurted in English. She remembered how she briefly gushed over Chen, calling him cute and such but now she was flustered to discover he had watched it, and the worst part was that she said it all in Korean.

"I hope I'm not bumped down on your list," Chen said to Arden.

"Huh?"

"She's probably going to bump you down now," Chanyeol remarked.

"Am I still your bias?" Chen asked Arden with a pouty face. Arden was so flustered she couldn't properly drink her hot chocolate.

"My bias hasn't changed," she confirmed, clearing her throat. Chen squealed, Arden regretted sitting close to the Beagle Line.

"You guys make such a big deal over the smallest things." Kim Ara commented.

"You'll have to get used to it," Xiumin advised her.

" _Gone Girl_." Suho read aloud. He flipped through the pages of Arden's book. She nearly forgot about the book.

"I plan to buy more Korean books now that I'm here.'"

" _When I think of my wa-eefe, I always think of her head_ ," Suho quoted. Arden couldn't help but giggle at his accent when he spoke English.

"Yaaah, I can read English better," Baekhyun suddenly grabbed the book from him and started to read.

" _I'd know her head anywhere. And watts_ _eenside_ _of it_." Arden laughed louder this time, the over-enunciation of the words were priceless.

"Suho and Kai were the biggest bookworms in the group," Chen revealed over Baekhyun's reading. Arden raised her eyebrows, Suho absolutely fitted the trait.

" _Kai_ , really?" Kai's head suddenly looked up, she said his name too loud.

"He actually used to read more than I and I used to buy him books. We don't have a lot of time to read anymore."

Arden took a glance at Baekhyun and Chanyeol and gasped. "Hey, don't break it!" They were both trying to read aloud now, seeing who can read best as they yanked the book from each other's hands while Sehun was laughing, amused.

She returned her attention to Suho. "I read a lot on the plane or during car rides, anytime I can get."

Arden enjoyed the rest of her break with the guys. There was a surprising show of improvement with everyone after the break; giggling and laughter replaced awkward silence. The dancers were able to work with each other. Arden no longer felt that stab of discomfort that happened every time she reached that bodyroll move in the chorus. When she looked at Lay she only giggled and she was glad she giggled because it meant that she was starting to trust him.

"I'm very impressed with everyone. Initially, it was rough but it's progressing well," Kang Jungyeoh praised.

"And it will only get better." Lay guaranteed. He and Arden looked at each other and grinned at the reference he had said earlier.

"I haven't finalized the schedule for tomorrow's practice but I might introduce one of the main concept dances for this new era." Many faces exchanged looks with each other in the room. Arden narrowed her eyes at Lay while his eyes questioned.

"Girls, I want you to bring your ballet slippers tomorrow." The girls nodded their heads but Arden was very taken back.

"Ballet shoes?" she echoed.

"Yes,  _shoes for ballet_ ," Kang Jungyeoh emphasized. Arden did, in fact, bring ballet shoes to South Korea. But she brought it as a souvenir, a memory of her home. She hadn't worn those shoes for five years.

Rehearsal ended and Arden was prepared to leave with the other girls.

"Arden, I need to speak to you," Kang Jungyeoh said.

"Yes Director," she obeyed him.

"I'll wait for you Arden," Im Yoonji informed as she stepped out the door. A series of 'Goodnight, Director' and or 'Have a good night, Director' followed as the room started to empty out.

"Kai, do you still have a pair of ballet shoes?" Kang Jungyeoh inquired before he made it to the door. Kai adjusted his hat from his eyes.

"I do but they're old, I use my jazz shoes or I go barefoot when I practice ballet."

"For tomorrow, just bring what you are comfortable in, I think I may have you lead in tomorrow's class." Kai's eyes narrowed at his teacher, Arden looked at Director Kang too.

"What is your plan, Director?"

"It's nothing you need to prepare for, I will discuss it in the morning. Rest now, Kai." As Arden watched Kai for a response, she met his gaze when he exchanged a look with her. He didn't tear away his eyes this time, though.

"Goodnight," Arden said to him as a test. Kai bowed his head to her.

"Have a good rest," he replied. "Goodnight, Director." He exited the studio right after.

Kang Jungyeoh turned his attention back to Arden. "I have something to give to you." He suddenly turned and walked away.

He returned with a box in his hand. "I was supposed to give you this yesterday but we got caught up in rehearsal." Arden looked at the box in his hand that was labelled 'iPhone 6'.

"This is your new phone, every artist signed to S.M. gets one, it's already set up. The purpose of this phone is for schedules and contact." He placed the box into Arden's hand. " There is an app where we upload all schedules on a post board, you and the other girls have been added to Exo's schedule but you only follow the rehearsals, showcases, and the upcoming concerts that will start in 2015 for you and the other female dancers. Everything else is Exo's own activities, do not attend them unless you are told to." Arden lost count of how many times her eyes popped open in bewilderment today.

She quickly recollected herself. "I will look through the schedule tonight. Thank you, Director." She bowed her head to him. She suddenly asked him an abrupt question. "What kind of calling plan does this phone have?"

"It's unlimited worldwide. We have that because different artists have activities in different places all over the world. We have to keep in contact with them in case anything goes wrong while they're abroad."

Arden smiled, "Thank you for informing me."

"Don't get so consumed with data, the company doesn't like people to surpass their limit." Arden nodded her head a little too excitedly. But it made Kang Jungyeoh smile.

"Rest now, Arden." She said goodbye to her Director.

One name popped off at the top of her head of who she was going to make her first phone call to;  _Josie_.

* * *

_Aww, a nice resolution to the previous chapter. Exo deserves a little light, they work too hard. I hope that was enjoyable and if you're still reading, I'd like to know who you are! Feel free to comment or vote, anything really :)_

 


	4. El Dorado

 

Arden promised herself that she'll phone call Josie after practice. They were expected at 11:30 am today. She packed her old black ballet slippers. She discovered that jogger pants did not go well with slippers. The other girls wore tight leggings. Leggings drew too much attention to the legs, Arden thought. Her hair was tied back, she wore a fitted long sleeved top with and minimal makeup.

"This music is going to put me to sleeeep," Chanyeol moaned as everyone spilt through the studio door.

"I'm aware you never took a ballet class in your life but this is what ballet dancers rehearse to," Kang Jungyeoh enlightened. Arden and the rest of the girls began to switch into their ballet shoes beside the door.

"Is that what we're doing today?" Baekhyun questioned.

"Didn't I tell the girls to bring ballet shoes?" the Director responded. "I know that none of you owns these shoes so I wouldn't have told you the same thing." Arden examined the room and noticed that Kim Jungsoo, the assistant choreographer, wasn't present in this session.

"Director, why are we doing this?" Chen asked.

"I can't even dance properly, there's no way I can do ballet!" Chanyeol added. More comments threw themselves at Kang Jungyeoh and his face was gradually heating up.

"You do as I say without refusal! I expect better of you, this is a low level of immaturity and I will not tolerate it." The boys were still as stone, their mouths cemented. "Everything I do has a purpose. Today is going to be a workshop on basic ballet dancing." Arden's eyes turned to Kai, everyone's eyes turned to Kai.

Kai moved to the front to assist Director Kang in their warm-up. He was barefooted, wearing a white short sleeve T-shirt and tapered pants. The boys ended up barefooted, a mound a shoes piled at the door. After everyone settled, they began to stretch.

"Why are you so hard on me, Director?" Chanyeol said followed by a few whimper, lying in a splits position.

"It's one thing to not be flexible but you're not even in the correct form." Arden smiled at Chanyeol as she was doing her own splits. Kang Jungyeoh went around the room, fixing people's form and pushing everyone toward the floor.

"Ow, ow, ow!" moaned Sehun.

"I expect better of you as a dancer, Oh Sehun." Kang Jungyeoh asserted.

"I'm an urban dancer," Sehun said weakly.

Arden looked at the other girls; they were perfectly formed and fully flexible; Arden's right leg was weaker. She winced when Director pushed her further down in her right split.

Director Kang started to introduce the basic positions of ballet; he looked so elegant in his form. She had no clue he had any background in ballet, he was always seen performing and choreographing hip hop.

They went over exercises until everyone was able to do the five positions skillfully. Soon enough, Kang Jungyeoh went around the room to evaluate with Kai.

"Excellent, Han Daehyun," Kai complimented. Arden began to stiffen in her position.

"Good, Song Meena." As he approached closer, Arden's anxiety increased. Sensing a head hovering over her, what felt like a million eyes was just one pair that was staring her down.

"Straighten your shoulders," he critiqued. Arden broadened her shoulders to make them stand taller and more aligned. Kai didn't look satisfied when she glanced at him for approval.

He looked at her form again. He jerked his hands forward but suddenly pulled them back. His critical eye fused into an awkward expression when Arden gave him a questionable look.

"You should look like this." His hands jerked forward again, he gripped her shoulder with one hand and placed the other hand on the small of her back, adjusting her into the correct alignment.

Kai nodded his head without looking at her face. "That's better." He walked away from her and continued his evaluation.

The class advanced to the ballet barres to perfect the positions. The barres were quick to become overcrowded as Arden hung at the very end and felt crammed against Im Yoonji.

They moved onto ballet moves after. The boys were introduced to the  _balancè_ ,  _assemblé ,_ _pas de bourèe, pas de chat_ , some positions in which the guys easily lost their balance in.

"You're not telling me this is harder than your martial arts, Tao?" Chen challenged.

"Ah!" Tao jerked sideways after almost falling over after doing a  _pas de chat_.

"Work on your control, Tao. That way you can balance better," Kai advised him.

Kang Jungyeoh wanted the dancers to go in pairs and perform the ballet moves across the studio for another exercise. Fits of laughter sputtered out of Baekhyun and Chen as they graced across the floor.

"I am not permitting you two to be together," Jungyeoh said hotly, only igniting more chuckling from the boys.

"There is absolutely nothing that’s fake about the Beagle Line." Im Yoonji remarked with astonished eyes. Arden sniffled a giggle. How Chanyeol, Chen, and Baekhyun acted together on TV was exactly how their relationship was off-screen.

Arden was criticized again for her alignment when she crossed the floor with Im Yoonji. Han Daehyun went with Kim Ara and Song Meena. Arden noticed how Han Daehyun, who danced off to the side, was the sharpest and most elegant amongst the three of them.

"We can go for a short rest," Director Kang announced at quarter to four. The expected sighs of relief came. " _But_ , everyone has to stay in here, so quickly purchase something and return right away."

"Who's coming for bubble tea?" Sehun announced. He ended up leaving with five other people. Arden brought out her bag with her. Her water bottle was empty. Lay passed her with five bottles in his arms.

"You all too lazy to go to the refill station?" Suho called the boys out.

"Yixing is already going there," Chanyeol said in defence.

"Hyung, it's okay," Lay assured him. Arden held the door for him as he passed through.

"Thank you," he said, bowing his head. Arden reached and took three of the bottles clasped in his arms. They filled all the bottles in silence.

"I kind of like what we're doing right now." Lay suddenly spoke, filling the last bottle.

"Ballet?" she checked.

Lay nodded his head. "It's the opposite of my style, but I like how it looks so effortless and classy yet it is so challenging to perform."

"I always adored ballet. I trained in it for almost three years before I stopped." They reached the studio, Arden and Lay started handing the water bottles back to their owners.

"Thank yooouu," Chanyeol said with a flashy, pearl-white smile, taking back his green bottle.

The girls were sitting in their own corner; they looked occupied so she sat next to her bag. She took a few sips of water then pulled out her paperback. For some time, she was unable to focus on the pages as her attention fell to Kai and Daehyun who were working with Kang Jungyeoh.

"Would you like to join us, Arden?" She flinched at the sudden voice that made her aware of her surroundings again. The voice came from Xiumin. Lay, Chen, Baekhyun, and Tao were sitting with him.

"Why are you barricading yourself? We're not scary!" Chen exclaimed informally. She looked down at her duffle bag then looked back at Xiumin. Her bag created a barricade.

"We don't want to single you out," Baekhyun said invitingly. Lay shifted over on the floor, making space for another body. She joined them. She took out her sandwich and her face scrunched in disgust.

"Gross," she muttered.

"Ugh," Lay said, leaning over. He was chewing a carrot stick when he held out his bag of veggies to Arden, she shook her head but he insisted. She grabbed a few, sharing the snack.

Arden was facing Kai and Han Daehyun again, who were still working with Kang Jungyeoh. "They need to eat too," Arden commented.

"Kai can't eat while he's rehearsing," Baekhyun revealed. Arden frowned at him curiously.

"He's too focused on his dancing to think about anything else," Xiumin elaborated.

"We have to force him to take a break; the only time he willingly does is when he's injured, even then he sometimes doesn't budge," Tao said.

"That sounds obsessive," Arden blurted. The guys gave her interesting looks. She knew she said the wrong thing.

"Dance is his obsession," Baekhyun emphasized. He didn't have to tell her so; even someone who didn't have a clue about Kai could see his diligence and passion by watching him perform full turns. He was graced with the natural appearance of an elegant body; his long, slender legs extended into another ballet position, his narrow torso broadened, and his fingers and feet pointed.

Kai suddenly eyed her after returning to his neutral form. Arden averted her eyes from him and joined in on Lay and Xiumin's conversation.

When the break concluded, Director Kang introduced turns. Han Daehyun demonstrated a few of them.

"Han Daehyun actually attended a ballet school before she joined our company. It's been a long time since I've worked with other ballerinas so I'm a little rusty on the teaching, so she is going to assist me with teaching you, girls." Kang Jungyeoh unveiled. Han Daehyun smiled.

Director Kang, Kai, and Han Daehyun began to teach turns, the guys exerted their best even though it was a struggle for some.

"Ah, I'm so dizzy!" Suho wasn't the first to say this after a turn. Han Daehyun continued to remind everyone that they have to spot, a technique used when spinning. It seemed that the other girls were capable of spotting effectively that Arden didn't want to admit she struggled with it.

Kai partnered with the members who struggled with turns and performed across the floor with them. Han Daehyun evaluated the girls individually.

When it was Arden's turn to go, a plastered grin on Han Daehyun's face faltered when she looked at Arden. Arden carried a nonchalant demeanour but the self-consciousness was inevitable to Han Daehyun.

"Your turns are sharp and nice but the end is a little sloppy, you need to work on your spotting so your landing is smooth." Arden expected an exaggerated opinion of everything she did wrong but everything Han Daehyun said was within reason.

"Spotting was always my weak spot, I will definitely practice to improve it," Arden assured.

Han Daehyun smiled radiantly at her. "We all have one weak spot, some have more than others,  _much more_  than others. But it can be improved upon." She eyed her very intensely when she emphasized  _much more_ as if that comment was directed to her. Arden bit her tongue and bowed her head to her.

"Pardon my ignorance, Director, but are we doing this workshop because you just want us to know ballet? What is the purpose of this?" Chanyeol questioned him. Director Kang exchanged a look with Kai who was closest to him. Kang Jungyeoh faced the dancers again.

"Although, I do believe that every dancer should have some basic training and knowledge of ballet, that is not the reason I'm running this workshop today," Everyone began to crowd together, the Director had their absolute attention now.

"For the next concept,  _El Dorado_  will be a performance of theatrical ballet where the female dancers will be subject to the  _El Dorado_ ; the  _El Dorado_ creeps at night but swift away as soon as they are being watched." Blank, baffled stares were directed at him, no one had a fair idea of what he was talking about.

"It will make better sense when we start the choreography."

 _El Dorado_  was Spanish for “The Golden”. Aside from that thought, Arden felt nothing but curiosity over Director's new concept.

"We're going to do ballet for our concert?" Suho questioned, gobsmacked.

"It's never been done before and it will catch everyone's attention."

"Director, people had years of training before they could do this dance to perfection. I don’t think it’s possible," Baekhyun objected, rich with doubt.

"Exo is not about perfection but about making a show," Director Kang defended. Baekhyun looked shaken to hear such a response. "We have lots of time to master  _El Dorado_ , I've had you work diligently on the smaller numbers so that this can be the main focus because I know this one is going to be a challenge."

Different looks stirred in the room, Arden's chest started to pump faster as her face was painted with uncertainty.

"Aishh!" Arden heard Chanyeol exclaim in the hallway. His forehead was pressed against the wall in frustration. "I struggled with hip hop and now he wants us to do ballet? What idol group does ballet?!"

"You're overthinking this, it's still just dancing," Xiumin comforted him.

"I don't know, Minseok," he lifted his head off the wall and turn to look down at Xiumin — or Minseok.

"This could either be one of our best performances we've ever done." He suddenly paused and leant in, "Or it will turn out bad. And I mean, really bad."

* * *

With the news of the concept for  _El Dorado_ , calling Josie had completely slipped Arden's mind. Internally, she felt like the worst human being on earth. The last time she spoke to her best friend and dance crew member was before she left for South Korea. Settling in a new country, long practice schedules and unexpected tasks seemed to be time-consuming.

She would always reply to messages sent from the members of her dance crew. They were practicing diligently for  _World of Dance_  2014. It made her feel better about herself, knowing that they were just as busy herself. But she would quickly fall back to her worst-human-being-in-the-world state of mind to know that they would stop an entire rehearsal just to talk to her.

Rehearsal schedules were suddenly altered - the girls discovered this in Kang Jungyeoh's new post on Bulletinboard.

_Plans and schedules for rehearsals_

_Exo will now be attending rehearsals starting at_ _8:00am_ _for basic ballet training. The girls are not to attend these sessions, they are designed to advance the inexperienced dancers in this discipline._

_However, the ballet sessions will include Kai as he will need to be retrained to perform to the best of his abilities._

Arden's level of confidence in ballet lessened more and more as rehearsals progressed. The beginning of the choreography was comprehensible and she followed it with no conflicts. Kang Jungyeoh also seemed to break it down better so that everyone could adhere to the piece. But when he taught the first verse, his teaching accelerated.

"Pliè, left arm out, third position, fourth, second, and pirouette!" It wasn't that she couldn't perform the moves; rather she struggled with the combination and looking fluid while doing it. She stood off to the farthest side of the room so that she wouldn't be so centred in the mirrors. Director Kang wanted her to do a failli assemblé . She managed to do it but her form was improper and slightly clumsy. At least that's what was the criticism of her choreographer.

When Arden tried to ask the girls for tips, they didn't have enough time to respond because Director Kang would start teaching the next part. She grew very concerned by the end of the rehearsal. She stumbled at one point in the dance on more than one occasion.

She decided to voice her concern Kang Jungyeoh at the end of rehearsal. Arden addressed him with complete formality. "Director Kang, I am experiencing difficulties with ballet and the choreography. It is quite advanced and I've been out of ballet training for quite some time. Can we revise what we learned today tomorrow so that I can be on the same level as the other girls?" He gave her a dismissive look and delivered a dismissive response.

"There is not enough time to go over every single move too many times to count. As a professional dancer, I expect you to learn fast. I cannot comprehend why you still request extra help when we rehearsed those parts several times. It is evident that you are slacking in rehearsals if you're seemingly falling behind." Arden almost choked on her own spit. She stared back at her choreographer whose arms were crossed. Maybe he was right. Maybe she took those practices for granted since she presumed that they would just revisit the same part of the dance the next day.

"Director, I don't know the girls' dance history, but I can see that they are far more advanced than me. I don't want to be held back by my lacking skill in ballet; the only way for me to improve is to practice and to seek advice from someone reliable." Arden discussed her situation.

Kang Jungyeoh breathed deeply, the vein on his neck protruding. "You have had years of ballet training, not one, not two, but shy of four and one year of your training was at an institute of Performing Arts at a university. Unless you lied."

"I didn't lie!" Arden blurted, panicked. She never lied on a resume. She collected herself, "My focus has been strictly hip hop for the past five years. I have not revisited ballet since my school training when I was nineteen."

"Now you are being dishonest with me! In those five years, you have performed several contemporary pieces, this is completely unacceptable. How can you be so unwilling to commit to something because it doesn't cater to your interest?"

All the muscles in Arden's faced tightened. "I am anything but unwilling!"

"Then prove it! I am severely disappointed in you. I've seen what you can do Arden, and what you're doing right now is an insult to your capabilities."

It takes years and years for a ballet dancer to dance to perfection. Kang Jungyeoh expected it in twenty-four hours. Two rehearsals. And from a hip hop dancer.

Arden stayed silent. She was livid but some part of herself felt that she let her teacher down.

"Kai, I want you to stay behind and help Arden. She's a little slow," Kang Jungyeoh said to Kai as he was heading out. She felt his stab as he belittled her when Lay, Chen, and D.O. were walking out. Kai abruptly stopped his tracks. He closed his eyes and held his breath in.

He turned to Director Kang with a polite gesture. "Yes, Director," Kai obeyed with a bow. Arden wanted to go home, to forget about the embarrassment that was still fresh, and finish the night before it could worsen.

"He doesn't have to stay. You're right, Director. I'll just have to work harder in - "

This was your request and now you're receiving it," he said sternly. He then turned to Kai who stood in front of him.

"I'll give you my keys for the studio, just bring them to the front desk when you're done."

"Thank you, have a good night, Director," he said.

Arden hoped to seek assistance from Director Kang. Now Kai was glaring at her as though she had brought this on herself.

"So, what are you having trouble with?" Kai asked her, unzipping his sweater and removing it. His dark bangs made his eyes more shadowy, or perhaps it was his demeanour.

"Umm, some of the parts - I'm not sure if you watched the girls' part or not but - "

"I did. I was probably paying more attention than you and it was yours to learn," he retorted. _I didn't ask you but thank you,_  she thought.

"Well, even better because I was confused by this." She displayed the ballet combo she had difficulties with.

Kai stared her down. "Your feet are in the wrong position." He showed her the correct version.

"Show me your double pirouette," he demanded. Arden performed the turn for him; at the worst time, she stumbled.

"You're not spotting properly and you're not holding down your form right so you keep losing balance." He danced a good pirouette for her. The few times he did show off his ballet skills in variety shows and interviews, spotting seemed to be his strong suit.

"Do it again." She repeated the move. He told her to do another one. It wasn't better so she had to repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

"You're becoming stiffer and stiffer," he criticized. Kai was growing frustrated with her. He brought her back to the basics where he retaught the form and alignment before the actual turn was taught. The self-consciousness that Arden felt consumed her. Her head started to feel like it was underwater.

"You're not focusing," Kai stressed.  _And you don't even want to be here_. After a couple more attempts at a pirouette, they moved on.

"Your pirouette is not going to improve drastically overnight so let's go over your failli assemblé ." Arden didn't know whether her pirouette improved or worsened by the end. If her progress with the ballet turn was long, then her failli assemblé was a decade to practice.

Kai was far harder than Director Kang. He was too much the perfectionist with every move and didn't let any flaws pass. The session was anything but a success. Never once did he tell her she did well. According to his criticism, there was no word of encouragement. They packed up their bags after half an hour when Arden cut their time because she didn't want to work with Kai any longer. He said a mere goodbye to her before she walked out the door.

She looked at him as he walked ahead of her in a rush. She couldn't believe that was the same person who talked welcomely outside the S.M. building after her audition. He was nice, even a little sweet, and now he appeared as though he had undergone a personality change. Maybe he wanted her to think that he as nice as the rest of the world thought of him.

This was how he was when there was no camera or fan around. He was cold, weary, and unapproachable. And a liar.

 _"You're one of the best dancers I've seen on Youtube."_  She remembered how completely awestruck she felt after Kai told her this. Now he scolded and criticized her abilities and struggles in ballet.

A complete liar.

 

 

 


	5. Crash

 

 **Josie:** Rough night last night?

Arden: Rough in general.

_Josie is typing..._

**Josie:**  Sorry to hear that

Arden: It's actually not all that bad, the guys make it more fun to be there.

 _Most of them_ , she thought.

 **Josie:** Ah no more soul sucking personalities then?

Arden smiled at her phone screen.

Arden: Nope, it vanished. For now at least.

_Josie is typing..._

**Josie** : Is it really that bad?

Arden: Yes, especially when they expect you to be top-notch royal ballet level.

 **Josie:** They'd be insane to expect that

_Josie is typing…_

"Are you coming, Arden?" Im Yoonji said.

Arden looked away from her phone and faced her. "I'll be right out.” She smiled to her, standing in the change room. Im Yoonji nodded her head then closed the door. There was a new text message when Arden returned to her phone.

 **Josie:** When we were in ballet class together in uni you were really good at it I don't see why you're stressing you can do it Arden and you need to believe in that

She smiled half-heartedly. She had been out of ballet for so long that she wasn't sure if she could regain all her skills in time for the performance. She typed one last message.

Arden: Thanks, Josie, I wish you and the rest were here right now. But I have to go now, I'll text as soon as I can.

She put her phone back in her bag and entered the studio. Kang Jungyeoh was still working with the boys on ballet while the girls were stretching and warming up in a corner. Arden quickly joined them.

"That sells it. This is my new workout. Now I don't have to worry about exercising." Chanyeol expressed, brushing a hand across his sweaty forehead.

"This better give me abs like Minseok-ah's!" Chen exclaimed.

"We are just getting started, boys," Kang Jungyeoh interjected, referring to more intensive exercises ahead. He glanced at Arden and the girls sitting in the corner. "Come in, girls,"

When everyone grouped together, Director Kang announced his procedure.

"Let's run the other dances before we start  _El Dorado._  You must retain what you learned." Relief washed over Arden. She was finally going to do something that didn't make her look like an idiot.

They started with Transformer, then Exo ran through  _Call Me Baby_ , and then they finished with  _Exodus_. Two hours passed and they started running through with  _El Dorado_ again. Kang Jungyeoh would spend a period of time just figuring out what was going to occur at a specific part of the song. In the previous rehearsal, it was the ballerinas' intro part before the start of the lyrics that was the main focused. Now he was constructing the formation of the stage and where each Exo member was going to be placed in the first verse.

The choreography continued to become more challenging as it progressed, but Arden continued to persevere through _El Dorado_. She listened well, performed the moves as best as she could. Throughout rehearsal, Kai would oddly stare at her. Arden looked back at him every time and met his gaze for a couple seconds before he turned away.

While she did listen well, she still needed assistance. "Director, can you show me one more time?" she asked after trying out the new move they were learning.

His face fell into a scowl at Arden. "Are you going to ask me that every single time?" His voice was hard and demanding, flummoxing her. She was so unsettled by his tone that she couldn't utter a word.

"No?" she finally choked out.

"Well, you've been doing it for the past three hours." That was the time spent on rehearsing  _El Dorado_  up until now. Everyone in the room was watching Kang Jungyeoh scold her. Her stomach was twisting itself into knots as she looked around her as the attention was enclosing on her.

As soon as she thought Kang Jungyeoh was finished, he started again. "Arden, it seems that you've been having great difficulties with this dance. Will you improve if you attend Exo's morning classes?" he proposed. Arden gazed blankly at her teacher.

"Those are beginner classes, yes?" Arden questioned, already feeling humiliated.

"They are. I think that is what you need. I believe that you can be retrained in the classes and be able to meet the standards of the dance when you attend them," he bluntly told her. A high pitched voice sniggered behind Arden. She turned her head and noticed Han Daehyun grinning with her hand over her mouth like she was holding back something that was ready to burst.

Arden, a professional dancer, was advised to attend beginner dance classes. Her pride would not allow that to happen.

"No, Director, I do not think that will be necessary. I promise to work harder and more diligently," Arden assured him followed by an anxious bow. She wanted the continuous stares to stop, Han Daehyun's sniggers to phase out, and she wished to move on.

None of the girls ever had problems with the dance, in fact, they were quite advanced. Their technique, flexibility, and skill were fantastic, or at least efficient. How did they all excel in this discipline if they were urban dancers like her? Song Meena, Kim Ara, and Im Yoonji - she wondered if they were in an academy at some point just like Han Daehyun.

Director Kang called for a break. Arden's initial plan was to everyone at the cafe. An idea sparked, however, when Sehun and D.O. left the room with Kai. She would have the studio to herself, no one was in the room since everyone left together, even Kai left despite always staying in the studio.

“Are you coming, Arden?” said Im Yoonji.

“No, I have to practice.” Her focus wasn’t even on Im Yoonji but the mirror in front of her.

“But this is our only rest,” her colleague pressed.

“I  _have to_ ,” Arden stressed with impatience.

Im Yoonji reluctantly walked out and Arden closed the door. She began to practice _El Dorado_  from the top. She nailed the beginning, but from the chorus and after, she needed to improve greatly.

Arden nearly jumped out of her skin when door suddenly burst open. Han Daehyun entered. They exchanged awkward, unwanted gazes. Arden suddenly felt unintelligible with her presence in the room. She had to convince herself that there was no one in the room so she could keep dancing in the discipline Han Daehyun was specialized in.

Han Daehyun had come to retrieve her purse but she didn't leave the room afterwards.

"Are you staying in the room, Han Daehyun?" Arden asked her.

"No, I was just watching you," she replied nonchalantly. Arden idly nodded her head, suggesting to her that she wasn't interested in what she had to say. She would resume the dance until Han Daehyun was going to leave.

"I fear for you," Han Daehyun spoke. Arden was in the middle of a pirouette when she said this. Her eyes narrowed at her when she finished her turn.

"You fear for me?" she questioned her. Her eyebrows knitted together and she was more confused if anything.

Han Daehyun fixed the baby hairs of her dyed strawberry blonde hair. "Yes, I don't know what Director has in mind, but if you're still having a hard time keeping up with the individual parts of the dance, I don't want to imagine how you'll do when we get into partners," she clarified. Arden felt robbed of words; she just stood there and took in what she said.

Han Daehyun just kept fiddling with her tied up hair. "With the way you're going, you may end up being removed from the dance."

Arden was gobsmacked. Kang Jungyeoh couldn't… "Removed?" Her eyes gaped at her, perplexed.

"Kang Jungyeoh doesn't have a lot of patience in case you couldn't tell, and we can't keep going back and repeating the same thing because of one person."

"He hasn't spoken about removing anyone," Arden fended for herself.

"Not yet. Eliminating a commercial dancer from a  _dance_ due to lack of  _dance_  skill is not very common. Perhaps, he still has some hope." Her head began to ache at the overwhelming thought and her chest thudded like a rhythmic drum. If she were to be thrown out of this performance, she would fail as a dancer.

She looked deeply at Han Daehyun. She was highly confident in these rehearsals because she was a classically trained ballerina. She was aware that ballet was Arden’s weak spot and she used it against her. This realization shifted her to retaliation.

"I understand, Han Daehyun. You're superior to everyone else in this discipline. I could say the same thing about myself in hip-hop. I don't consider myself superior, but I am quite advanced. I am not consumed by my pride, however. You need to come off your high horse. I'm completely aware that I am not advanced in ballet, so you can stop indicating it." Her voice hardened with sterness, the blood rushing to her head.

Han Daehyun smiled a disturbing, false smile. "I am just warning you. I intend no criticism. Being kicked out from something you love is the worst feeling in the world, unbearable to live with. Maybe if you retrain yourself within a matter of days, that won't have to happen," she concluded in a matter-of-fact voice.

"I can make my own decisions, thank you," Arden replied sternly. Han Daehyun looked like she was ready to retort, but her face abruptly morphed into a polite smile.

"O.K.  _Fighting_!" she looked at her with her double eyelids and left the room with no further word. Arden wished she would break her foot so that she couldn't do perfect turns anymore.

Her thoughts traced over to Kang Jungyeoh. She had witnessed him threaten Exo when they're weren't working with him. Han Daehyun was correct about his nature, he didn't possess much patience and held high expectations. He had shown an irritable attitude toward Arden for her constant disturbance while learning choreography. In his eyes, she was progressing backwards.

Was he ready to throw her out of the dance? Her lips trembled at the thought.  _El Dorado_ was arguably the biggest part of the new album concept, and a significant amount of time was being used to develop it. To have no participation in it would make Arden's role of a dancer useless. If she didn't meet the expectations, then her boss had every reason to let her go.

It hadn't even been a month's time and she was already failing. Her head ached again and her breaths became short. Her head was swimming again. She needed to do everything she could to do well in this stupidly difficult dance. She could never live with herself if she was fired. She was barely living now at the thought of it.

Retraining in just a matter of days would be a challenge but it could be done. Somehow. Her retraining was going to start now.

The moment she made that decision, Kai entered the room. Arden's eyes frowned at him, almost disappointed of his presence in the room.

He returned the frown. "Is there a problem?"

"Why are you here?" she blurted. Kai scoffed.

"I'm always here. I just got some  _coppie_ _._ " He was holding a coffee cup in his hand.

"I'll be using the studio, too," she replied.

He looked at her smugly. "Are you trying to come around with your ballet?" he sneered. Although his comment was rude, that smug expression was the closest to a smile she had seen on his face. It shedded some light on her mood towards him.

Instead of attacking back, she smiled. "Yes."

For twenty minutes she rehearsed  _El Dorado._  She managed to ignore Kai throughout the session; he was invested in his own practice anyway. Everything had to be right, every minute, every part. Director Kang’s voice was in the back of her mind, instructing every pointer for each move she did and repeated.

 _I have to get better_ , she thought.  _I must get better._ Regular rehearsal resumed after the break.She displayed nothing but focus for the next rehearsal.  _Correct, perfect, correct, perfect._

After rehearsal, she planned to stay in the studio, on her own, though. Kai would be the last person she wished to practice with. She was going to stay there until she felt like she advanced a level or two.

A pounding in her head developed during rehearsal. Simultaneously, her chest thumped while she danced and it became difficult to ignore. Through all this determination and focus came uncertainty; she was willing to work hard but was she going to be able to improve drastically in a limited time? It seemed impossible but there was no other solution. The thought made her heart stop. Pressure was sent to her fingertips in the expectation.

"Are you staying in?" Director Kang asked her when rehearsal wrapped up.

"Yes, Director," she answered with complete determination. He handed her the key.

"I will see everyone on Monday, there is no rehearsal Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, due to Exo's packed schedules," Kang Jungyeoh announced. The girls passed her on their way out.

“You need to rest,” Im Yoonji emphasized with a worry in her eyes.

“I need to dance,” Arden asserted. Her roommate looked defeated as she nodded in nodded her head in acceptance.

“Okay, we’ll see you in the morning, Arden,” Kim Ara said, walking off with the rest of the girls.

As Arden waited for everyone to leave she stretched her arms in the mirror and did some barre work on the side.

"Ready to start again?” Kai broke in. He was standing behind Arden in the reflection.

She turned to him on her heels. "I don't need you here. I'll rehearse on my own, thank you." She treated him dismissively.

"You need my help. I saw what you were doing during the break." His voice was hard as rock. But if he insisted on staying, then perhaps he genuinely wanted to help her this time.

"Alright. Cue the music," she dragged with no anticipation of his assistance. He went to the stereo to play the music. She began on releve. With her fingers pointed, she travelled wondrously on the stage just as ‘El Dorado' would. She waved her arms and, on cue, she performed her failli assemble.

"Bad landing," Kai interrupted. Arden glanced a glare at him before she kept going. The next move was a pirouette -

"Rough turn." Persevering, she did a double pirouette. She attempted to better this one. "Stiff."

Arden let out an exasperated sigh. His little commentary made no advancement in helping her. "Please save the comments for the end,” she requested of him. He scowled but obeyed.

His silence, however, was more daunting than his said thoughts. She was imagining what he was thinking now which worsened her focus as she assumed the worst criticism.

Her limbs began to feel like jelly, and she couldn't balance on them. Her heart was in her throat. He was becoming a full distraction. The few glances she snuck at him, he grimaced, shook his head, and looked at her with a disappointed expression, evidently judging her.

“ _Aish_ , I should’ve gone home,” he muttered, believing Arden wouldn’t hear it.

Finally, she couldn’t endure it any longer and completely stopped to face him. “What now? What else do you have to say?” she demanded.

He glowered at her. "How can you be so incompetent? No matter how many times you do it, nothing is improving! I don't think you'll ever get better." Arden stopped, feeling her chest drop to the floor. Her deep-set eyes stabbed into Kai's. To him, she looked like a time bomb that was ready to go off.

"I will never get  _better_?" Her voice was hauntingly low. Her gut twisted while her head started to pound again. Kai was trapped in her intense stare. "Who says that to someone?!" He flinched at her booming voice.

"You know what will never get better? You and your  _horrible_  attitude. If people knew who you really were, no one would admire you. You're rude, disrespectful, moody, cold, and I can't stand being around you!" She inhaled deeply, taking a moment to regain her breath. The fire of her frustration was dying out as Kai's piercing stare sunk into her. She expected him to leave. She waited.

His eyes looked at her vulnerably. She didn’t understand him; his voice was hard and cold but his eyes expressed an opposite feeling. "I'm going to the washroom," he said calmly. He left. Probably for good. Arden reverted her attention back to the mirror; she didn't need anyone, just practice.

She started doing turns again. She did one; she didn't balance. She did two; her alignment was crooked. She did three; they were rushed. She lost balance. Arden rubbed her temple; her headache was worsening, especially with all the spinning. She must keep going.

She progressed onto a combo move, one where her body couldn't connect the moves smoothly so she kept abruptly stopping during the transition.

She groaned in irritation. "Why can't I do it?" she demanded of herself. She continued to run the same moves again and again. Nothing was working.

She moved onto failli assemblés. The move seemed to get worse and worse the more she tried. Every time she attempted the jump, she grew more anxious, her chest giving her no rest.  _You'll never get better._  It wasn't getting better, not in the slightest. This jump move was so aggravating, it was simple yet impossible to do.  _With the way you're going, you may end up being removed._  Then kick me out and fire me so that I can stop dealing with this! Her chest was thudding hard, her breathing intensified, and her body became jelly.

Her eyes became glassy, staring in the reflection. Her face was puffy and red from the distress she pushed to conceal. Her almond-shaped eyes finally pooled out hot, delayed tears. She coughed out in agony as her breaths were followed by wheezes.

 _I'm a failure, I'm a failure._  She wiped her nose. That thought unsettled her. She stared at her reflection and shook her head.

 _I can't think that way, I came across the world for this, I can't go back now!_  She looked determined, wiping the wetness under her eyes away. Arden was about to do another failli assemblé. She graced her arms in the correct position and leaped forward.

The heavy anxiety in Arden's chest consumed her in the midst of the jump. The uneasiness of her chest provoked her to shut her eyes in the air and release a sob. In the next moment, she landed in an awfully horrid fall; a fierce stab inflicted her foot as the wrong end of her foot crashed against the floor, falling onto it. She screamed from a tortuous sensation that pierced her ankle. Using her arms, she pressed herself up from the ground but immediately clasped onto her right ankle in great pain.

She was experiencing such agonizing pain that, in that moment, that she could barely hear the muffled sound of a shouting voice.

"Arden!" She didn't even see Kai run into the room before he collapsed to his knees in front of her. She leaned backwards, away from the closeness of his presence.

"What were you doing?!" he demanded anxiously. His hand reached to her ankle when she suddenly pulled away.

"It's going to go away," she said, sniffling. On impulse, she attempted to stand up to prove her statement but dropped to the floor in an excruciating affliction that pressured her foot. By instinct, Kai caught hold of her arms.

"We need to go to a hospital," he proclaimed.

"I'm okay - "

"You're not!" All of a sudden, Arden's arm was thrown over his shoulder and she was lifted up. The force of Kai's hand pushed her hip up.

"But my bag," she mentioned.

"We'll get it later," he asserted, clearly having Arden as his only current concern. He suddenly squatted down and arched his back. "Get on."

"What?" Arden questioned.

"Trust me, this is a lot less labouring for me than you leaning on me." He was a tall person and she was below average height. He'd end up having a side pain and she would tire out her only working foot if she walked while using him for support.

She hopped on his back using her good foot to boost her. He secured her legs between his arms. He locked the door while he carried Arden like a backpack and rushed them out. They exited through the back of the building and called for the nearest taxi. They found one within minutes and rushed to the hospital.

When they arrived, Kai opened the door for Arden. She attempted to pull herself out of the car. Kai bent over and locked his arms underneath hers and lifted her out of the car. He had very good balance, for he supported both of them as she plummeted onto him from the force of pulling her out of the cab. He scooped her in his arms to assist her up the flight of stairs.

"Put me down here," she ordered when they entered the building. Arden hopped her way to the receptionist inside with Kai's support.

"She just twisted her ankle while dancing and needs immediate attention," he told the woman. She began dialling buttons.

"A doctor will be with you shortly, you can wait in that room for now and we will call you over. What's your name?" the lady said.

"Kim Jongin," he answered. A wheelchair was suddenly brought to Arden and she navigated her way to the waiting room in it.

Luckily, Kai and Arden didn't wait too long before they were called. They were met by Dr. Lim, who was middle-aged and looked experienced. She was still in her slippers, so she took them off. The doctor took X-rays of Arden's foot and examined them. She explained how the injury happened. When the results were finished, Arden and Kai waited anxiously for them.

"You are very lucky." Kai sighed a deep relief before Arden even could. "If your foot was slightly altered during your fall, you would've broken a bone. It's not serious. You just need to rest your foot. If you continue to put more stress on it, it will become much worse," Dr. Lim explained.

"How much time would rest require?" Arden questioned.

"About two weeks, precisely. And when you return to your dancing, do not push yourself so hard." Arden instantly geared into panic mode, raising up from her seat.

"I can't do that Doctor! I'm a background dancer, I'm rehearsing for a world tour, I can't miss practices!" she interrupted breathlessly. She suddenly winced at the pressure to her foot and dropped back down. She didn't want to imagine Director Kang's reaction to her injury.

"If you want to keep dancing, you have to follow instructions," he said sternly.

"You don't understand, Doctor," she pressed.

It was her turn to be interrupted. "Arden, relax. I'm going to speak to Director Kang and we will figure something out. There is no practice for three days, so please rest," Kai assured her. The doctor agreed.

"Arden, you are so lucky, many people would break their foot by doing what you did." Dr. Lim said. She smiled weakly but genuinely.

"I don't get injured often."

"I can bandage your ankle and give you a brace as well as some painkillers," Doctor Lim offered. Arden bowed in thanks.

"Get plenty of rest for now." That concluded their time together before Dr. Lim suddenly recognized Kai as “one of those Kpop flower boys”.

Arden strapped on her ballet slipper while the injured foot was shoeless. A soft chuckle escaped Kai's mouth.

She darted her eyes at him. "You didn't exactly give me enough time to change my shoes," she remarked. They returned to the receptionist's desk in silence as Kai pushed Arden on her wheelchair.

"I'm here for the bill," Kai told the lady when they arrived there. Arden felt her pockets and her eyes went wide.

"Kai, I don't have my wallet," she spurted. He held a finger to her.

"Credit," he replied over the desk. The transaction went through.

He turned back to Arden. "It's the company's card; for liability or necessities, you use it," he explained. She didn't know whether or not to say thank you so she stayed silent.

"What time is it?" she asked him. She felt like it was morning from low long her night had felt.

"Past midnight," he responded.

"Oh, we should get going," Arden indicated.

"Slow down. Let's sit for five minutes before you move your foot again." _I am sitting._ However, she loved the irony as she sat in the wheelchair. They moved back to the waiting room where she sat in one of the chairs.

Arden didn't know how to converse with Kai. She was in the state of utter shock; the cold, moody, unlikeable person earlier was the same person beside her who had aided her. Her mouth moved but articulated no sound.

"I'm really sorry about earlier," he began. Arden looked up at him with absolute attention. "And all that time before. I don't know how to explain it, but I can be quite rude to people when I'm stressed. I think I fuel out my frustrations on people to cope or I just avoid them." Arden gave him a blank look. She did consider this; he rehearsed by himself during breaks and she frequently saw him alone while he was using his phone, and more often than not, he was cold to her.

"And when I said you will never get better at ballet: I take it back, completely. I hate myself for saying it. I think it's the reason you hurt yourself." His voice softened and his glinting gaze told her he was genuine.

Yes, it did fuel her anxiety and she was hurt by what he said. "It's not the whole reason. It's barely a reason as a matter of fact." Remembering back to Han Daehyun, he was hardly the dilemma.

Kai frowned in concern. "Why did you do it then? Was it just an accident?" Arden debated whether to expose Han Daehyun or to keep quiet.

"I thought I was going to get fired." She decided to name no names.

His eyes gaped. "Why would you think that?"

Arden sighed. "I wasn't getting any better. I was useless for the team."

"No. Director has all my respect but he'd be stupid to let you go. Please stop thinking this way. You will do great, and you have people who can help you," he encouraged.

She was tugging on a strand of hair now. "I'm falling behind, I'm dragging us down.” Her mouth grew parched as her voice weakened.

"Falling behind?! You haven't paid attention to the guys, have you?" Something about that comment brought a smile to her face. But she was too self-absorbed with her own problems to pay attention to anyone else. Her brief smile fell into a frown in the disappointment she felt.

"If you come to one ballet class, you will see. Everyone is working hard because this piece isn't easy. I'm working hard too; Kang Jungyeoh thinks I'm a principle dancer when I'm not as advanced as he thinks I am. I haven't done ballet since my trainee days!"

Arden beamed at him, impressed. "Really? You're still quite good, though.”

Kai shrugged. "I practice whenever I can." There was a minute of silence, Arden fiddled with her ankle brace while Kai played with his hands.

"When you told me you couldn't stand being around me, I was shocked but then I understood. It's okay if you don't. We can just be civilized colleagues."

Her words had actually hit him. That gave her a sense of catharsis, not because she wanted to hurt him but because he had empathized. Her face brightened. "I was just upset and... severely confused about you," she confessed.

He frowned momentarily then smiled weakly. "I could explain it but I think it would make better sense if you got to know me,"

"I agree. But next time, take your stress out on Baekhyun or someone else who's a ball of energy and won't be affected by it." Kai grinned, probably at the thought of Baekhyun.

Arden suddenly released a loud yawn. "Let's go home.”

Kai helped her up and pushed her on the wheelchair out the doors. They hitched a taxi and rode together, the first stop being Arden's dorm. Her ejection from the cab was a lot smoother than the first time. Kai carried her on his back up the stairs, to the dorms.

"I can handle it from here. Make sure my bag is returned, it has my phone and book," she told him when they reached the doors. “Goodnight, Kai." She felt bittersweet saying goodbye.

"Rest a lot."

"Okay," she agreed. Before she entered the building, she thought of something.

"Oh, Kai," she called. He turned back around.

"Thank you. For helping me. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been there."

He smiled. "Sure."

They parted ways. Arden felt a thousand pounds lifted off her shoulders as she rode the elevator. Kang Jungyeoh's reaction to her injury was the only concern of hers but even that wasn't hefty for her. Now she knew better; she was never going to listen to a word Han Daehyun said.

 

 

 


End file.
